S.F. mom reduces the mountains of stuff

Jenn Epstein organizes Kid Stuff Swaps to help parents save money and the environment. Come to the swap this Sunday, August 2, at Recess in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood.

Jenn Epstein and her 3-year-old daughter Lily play with recycled toys they picked up at a Kid Stuff Swap.

After San Francisco mom Jenn Epstein had her first child three years ago, she was appalled by all the stuff: the musical swings and bouncy chairs, the breast-feeding pillows and baby wipe warmers. If purchased new, the stuff came wrapped in packaging, much of it not recyclable. Where was all of this stuff going to end up? In a landfall, she worried.

“I was overwhelmed by this feeling that having a baby was the worst thing for the environment,” says Epstein, who now has two kids. “I felt so guilty.”

Epstein was lucky because she didn’t have to buy tons of new stuff. A girlfriend regularly supplied her with hand-me downs. When she received these recycled goods, she felt warm and fuzzy inside rather than guilty. But the toys and gear were piling up in Epstein’s small Potrero Hill flat, and she began to feel overwhelmed.

And then Epstein watched Story of Stuff, the online short film in which Bay Area local Annie Leonard explains the wastefulness of American consumerism. When Leonard said that 99 percent of stuff people buy is trashed within six months after the date of purchase, Epstein felt compelled to help in some way but how?

WHY BUY NEW STUFF WHEN YOU CAN GET YOUR FRIEND’S OLD STUFF FOR FREE?

Last summer Epstein held her first Kid Stuff Swap at a park. She emailed friends and invited them to bring gently used kids’ clothing and toys to trade. The idea was that people could get rid of their unwanted stuff and get new stuff without making a trip to the store and opening their wallets. “Only three people came,” Epstein says. “We called it the flop swap.”

Epstein wasn’t giving up. She knew this wasn’t a new idea and that swaps were successful elsewhere. She figured the San Francisco community would support it. She shared her idea with Lisa Nowell and Kristin Jamieson, owners of Recess, a children’s play space in Potrero Hill. Together the women planned another Kid Stuff Swap at Recess and more people came, and then they put on another and another, and now they’re holding one every other month.

GOT THE URGE TO PURGE? BRING YOUR STUFF TO THE SWAP THIS SUNDAY

Most families have an overloaded toy box.

The next swap is this Sunday, August 2, at Recess. You drop off your stuff at 3:30 p.m. and chat with other parents and let your kids enjoy the play space while staff organizes the stuff. At 4 p.m, it’s a free for all! You dig through the clothing, books, gear, and toys (most of the stuff is for babies and kids up to age 3) and take home what you like, while leaving all of your stuff behind.

Epstein was originally worried about families bringing a few pairs of used socks and taking home bagfuls of toys. At the first swaps, she carefully counted each family’s items, allowing them to take as many things as they brought. “The exact opposite of what I expected happened,” she says. “People arrived with tons of stuff to share and they took home less than they brought.” Now, Epstein doesn’t bother keeping track.

Whatever is left at the end reappears at the next event or gets donated. Although Epstein says it’s getting more difficult to find places that will take toys. Goodwill no longer accepts them, for example.

At this point Epstein isn’t making any money with her swaps. She charges $5 for admission and the little money she earns goes toward putting on the next swap. But she doesn’t mind. “I don’t have a good business model but right now it’s just about making people feel happy because they’re doing something good for the environment.”

Epstein has high hopes of expanding her venture. She’d like to travel to neighborhoods and put on swaps. “My husband and I were looking on Craigslist the other day and there was this used double-decker bus for sale. Wouldn’t that be fabulous? We could drive it into neighborhoods and hold swaps on the bus.”